Plain English Guides
The scoring format used in most junior competitions — explained in plain English. This guide is now part of our full Golf Formats section.
View Stableford in Golf Formats Guide ↗"Instead of counting every shot over 18 holes, Stableford gives your child points on each hole. Highest total wins. A bad hole costs you nothing — you just score zero and move on."
That last part is the key. In strokeplay — where you count every single shot — one terrible hole can ruin an entire round. A nine on a par four demoralises a junior golfer in a way that's genuinely hard to recover from.
Stableford removes that problem. Score badly on a hole? Pick the ball up, write down zero, walk to the next tee. The damage is contained. The round continues. This is why Stableford is the format most junior competitions use — it keeps the round moving, keeps spirits up, and rewards consistent play rather than punishing disaster holes.
Every hole on a golf course has a "par" — the number of shots a scratch golfer is expected to take. Your child's score on that hole, adjusted for their handicap, is compared to par. Here's what each result is worth:
These scores are after handicap is applied. So if your child has a high handicap they get extra shots on certain holes — meaning they might score a "net birdie" (birdie after handicap) even if their actual score was a 5 on a par 4. The competition uses the adjusted score, not the raw one.
Here's a fictional junior — let's call her Ava, handicap 18 — playing nine holes in a Stableford competition. Watch how the scoring works hole by hole.
| Hole | Par | Ava's score | Net score | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | Bogey | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | Par | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 9 | 8 | Disaster! | 0 |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Par | 2 |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Birdie! 🐦 | 3 |
| 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | Bogey | 1 |
| 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | Picked up | 0 |
| 8 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Par | 2 |
| 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | Par | 2 |
| Total Stableford points | 13 | ||||
Notice hole 3 — Ava had a 9. In strokeplay that would be a catastrophe that follows her around the whole round. In Stableford? Zero points. She picked up the ball, moved to the 4th tee, and went on to score a birdie on hole 5. The bad hole was forgotten instantly. That's the genius of Stableford.
For most Stage 3 and early Stage 4 juniors, Stableford is the more enjoyable format. It rewards good holes, protects against disasters, and keeps the scorecard interesting right to the end. As players develop and their handicap comes down, strokeplay becomes more appropriate — but most junior club competitions run Stableford for good reason.
Enter the par for the hole, your child's actual score, and their handicap strokes on that hole (usually shown on the scorecard as 1 or 0). We'll work out the Stableford points.
You won't be walking the course during a junior competition — juniors mark each other's cards. But it helps to understand the process before your child plays.
Before the round: Your child's playing partners will mark their scorecard and vice versa. They write down the actual shots taken on each hole — not the points. The points are calculated at the end.
During the round: If your child takes more than two over par on a hole (before handicap), they should pick the ball up rather than continuing. This keeps pace of play and avoids the frustration of completing a bad hole. They write down the number of shots taken up to that point and move on.
After the round: The scorecard is checked, signed by both your child and their marker, and submitted to the competition office. The office calculates the final Stableford total and posts the results.
Your child must always write down their actual shots taken, not the Stableford points. If they write down the wrong number of shots and sign the card, the result stands — even if it costs them the competition. Always double-check the scorecard before signing.
Ready to enter a Stableford competition?
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